That’s all very exciting for American fans or those braving the trip to Texas, but why should the rest of us take notice? The answer lies in the ingenious method of fundraising that the band used along with the good folks over at Song, by Toad Records. The basic premise was that anyone who pledged support to the Kickstarter campaign was asked to vote for up to five songs that they would like to hear the band play on a specially produced album. And they weren’t limited to Meursault songs, suggestions of covers were welcomed.

The result is a pseudo-covers album (pseudo as there are a couple of re-imagined Meursault tracks thrown in too, such as the re-worked version of ‘Dearly Distracted’ in the player below), which has been wonderfully captured and produced. It must also be said that Meursault fans have great taste, with some of my all-time favourite songs making it onto the album (see ‘No Children’ by Mountain Goats and Wolf Parade’s ‘I’ll Believe In Anything’ in particular).

Each track has its merits, and I really don’t think there’s a dud amongst the fourteen strong collection. A personal favourite is the cover of Chad VanGaalen’s ‘Rabid Bits of Time’, which is perfectly suited to Neil Pennycook’s emotive vocals.

You can get the album now via Song, by Toad Records.

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“The.. songs are energetic and accessible, while Wingo’s abstract narratives are more personal and intimate than ever.”

Staying In, the first song from the album to be released, is now available to stream/download via Soundcloud after premiering on SPIN. Check it out in the player below. Also, if you are heading to SXSW next month, be sure to check out Ola Podrida’s live performance

The post Ola Podrida Announce New Album – Ghosts Go Blind appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Vancouver punk rock outfit Japandroids are back with another album. Fresh off the back of what sounded like a few very impressive SXSW appearances, the duo announced ‘Celebration Rock’ will be released on Polyvinyl Records on 5th June. You can pre-order it here.

You can stream the single from the new record, ‘The House That Heaven Built’, above. It sounds like a continuation of Post-Nothing’s noisy but jubilant sound rather than some of the heavier songs they released on their collection of singles (No Singles). I must say I like both sounds so hopefully there is room on the album for both.

Japandroids are touring in support of the new album (according to Consequence of Sound):
05/17 – Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach
05/18 – Brighton, UK @ The Green Door Store
05/19 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
05/21 – Bristol, UK @ Cooler
05/22 – London, UK @ Camp Basement
05/23 – Manchester, UK @ Soup Kitchen
05/24 – Glasgow, UK @ King Tuts
05/25 – Leeds, UK @ Cockpit 2
05/26 – Nottingham, UK 2 The Bodega
05/31 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
06/11 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
06/12 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
06/14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
06/15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
06/16 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
06/19 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
06/21 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
06/22 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
06/23 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
06/25 – Montreal, ON @ La Salla Rossa
06/26 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
06/27 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
06/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
06/30 – Washington, DC @ The Rock and Roll Hotel
07/03 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
07/07 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret

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I must admit I was pretty late to this bandwagon for this one. I first heard of Wye Oak from an interview with Titus Andronicus, who were singing their praises of during SXSW in 2010. They described how the drummer (Stack) also played keyboard – one with each hand! Remarkable.

To prove that this band are far more than a gimmick, the title track from the new LP can be downloaded here. I’d highly recommend it.

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